Vanecek led the Islanders onto the ice for Sunday's preseason game, indicating he'll draw the road start against New Jersey, per Stefen Rosner of NHL.com.
Vanecek will get the first chance to audition for the backup goalie role behind Ilya Sorokin in the midst of his training camp battle against Semyon Varlamov. The 30-year-old Vanecek is looking to bounce back in 2026-27 after a rough go of things a season ago, when he compiled a 5-13-3 record, a 2.94 GAA and an .883 save percentage across 22 regular-season games with Utah. He's set to debut for his sixth different team across seven NHL seasons, as Vanecek has become a journeyman depth option in net.